Railway-switch-operating device.



E. H. WHITAKER. RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED NOV.23, 1908.

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B. H. WHITAKER. RAILWAY SWITCH OPERATING DEVICE.

APPLIGATIOR FILED NOV. 23, 1908.

EDGAR H. WHITAKER, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

RAILWAY-SW11 (DH-OPERATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

Application filed November 23, 1908. Serial No. 464,117.

To all whom at may concern:

Be it known that I, EDGAR H. VHITAKER, a citizen of the United States,and resident of St. Louis, Missouri, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Railway-Switch-Operating Devices, of which thefollowing is a specification containing a full, clear, and exactdescription, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming apart hereof.

My invention relates to a railway switch operating device, the object ofmy invention being to provide simple means for shifting the switch pointrail of a street railway switch or the like, and which device iscontrolled by the driver or person in charge of the car, thus doing awaywith the necessity of shifting the switch point rail by means of a handlever or the like.

To the above purposes, my invention consists in certain novel featuresof construction and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter morefully set forth, pointed out in the claims and illustrated in theaccompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a railway switch and showing my improvedoperating device connected to the movable switch point; Fig. 2 is avertical section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is an enlargedcross section taken on the line of F 2; Fig. 4; is an enlarged crosssection taken on the line 4 r of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is a side elevation of aportion of a car and showing the mechanism arranged thereon for engagingthe switch actuating means; Fig. 6 is a cross section taken on the line66 of Fig.

Referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings: 1 designates themain rails of a railway track; 2 the switch rails leading from the maintrack rails, and 3 the movable switch point which is pivotally mountedat one end and arranged to operate in the usual manner between one ofthe main track rails and one of the switch rails.

Located in the ground beneath the track rail against which the movableswitch point 3 engages, is a housing 4, the top' 5 of which isremovable, and fixed within said housing is a pair of standards 6, inthe upper ends of which is journaled a shaft 7. Fixed on the end of thisshaft 7, beneath the switch point 3, is a crank arm 8, the lower end ofwhich is provided with a slot 9, and engag ing in said slot is a pin 10,carried by a crank 11, which latter is fixed 011 one end of a shortshaft 12, the same being journaled in a bearing 13 within the housing 4,and fixed on the opposite end of this shaft 12 is a vertically disposedcrank arm 14, the upper end of which projects through an opening 15formed in the top 5 of the housing, and the upper end of said crank armhas a pin and slot connect-ion 16 with a lug 17, which depends from theunder side of the movable switch point 3.

A retractile coil spring 18 is connected at one end to the lower end ofthe crank arm 8 and at its opposite end to the housing a, the normaltendency of which coil spring is to maintain the movable switch point 3in such a position as to cause the wheels of a car to travel over themain track rails 1. Fixed on the end of the shaft 7, opposite the endcarrying the crank arm 8, is a vertically disposed crank arm 19, whichprojects through an opening 20 formed in the top 5, and the upper end ofsaid crank arm 19 has a pin and slot connection 21, with a lug 22,formed on the under side of a short horizontally disposed lever, 23, theopposite end of which is pivotally mounted on a flange 24, which isformed on or fixed to the outside of the ball of the corresponding oneof the track rails 1. The forward end of this lever 23 or the end havingthe pin and slot connection with the crank arm 19, normally bearsdirectly against the outside of the ball of the corresponding trackrail.

The mechanism just described comprises the switch actuating device, andthe means carried by the car for throwing the switch actuating deviceinto operation is illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, and comprises a wheel orroller 25, provided on both sides with flanges 26, and said wheel beingof such size as to fit snugly over and travel upon the ball of the trackrail. This wheel is journaled on the lower end of a crank shaft 27, themain body portion of which is journaled in suitable bearings 28 fixed tothe under side of the car body, between the trucks, and fixed on thecenter of this crank shaft is an arm 29, to the upper end of which ispivotally connected the rear end of a rod 30, which extends to a pointbeneath the car platform,

and the forward end of said rod is pivotally connected to a bell crank31, which is actuatcd by a plunger 32, extending verticalty through theplatform.

Fixed to the upper end of the arm 29 is one end of a retractile coilspring the opposite end of which is fixed to the car body, and saidspring normally maintains the parts in the positions seen in Fig. 5,with the wheel 25 elevated from the track rail.

The operation of my improved switch operating device is as follows:Assuming that a car is approaching the switch and that the operator ofthe car desires to shift the movable switch point so as to cause thewheels of the car to travel onto the side track, the plunger 32 isdepressed, thus actuating the bell crank 31, drawing the rod 30 forwardagainst the resistance offered by the coil spring 3", and as a resultthe crank shaft 27 will be rocked in such a manner as to throw the wheel25 downward onto the ball of the corresponding track rail 1, with theflanges 26 engaging on each side of the ball of said rail. Before thewheels of the front truck reach the movable switch point 3, the outerone of the flanges 26 will bear against the end of the lever 23, whichis engaged against the ball of the rail, and as a result said lever willbe shifted slightly, which movement imparts a rocking motion to theshaft 7, by reason of the connection between the crank arm 19 and saidlever 23. As the shaft 7 is thus rocked, a correspond ing rockingmovement will be imparted to the shaft 12, owing to the connectionsbetween the shafts 7 and 12, and as a result the arm 1 f will be shiftedin such a manner as to actuate the movable switch point 3 and swing thefree pointed end thereof away from the ball of the track rail 1, andinto position where said movable switch point will be engaged by the carwheels, and the latter will be guided or deflected onto the side trackrails 2. Before the rear wheel of the front truck leaves the movableswitch point 3, the wheel 25 has traveled past the forward free end ofsaid movable switch point, and the inner flange of said wheel 25 willmaintain said switch point 3 in its shifted position until the forwardone of the wheels of the rear truck engage against said movable switchpoint, and thus the car wheels of both trucks are caused to pass ontothe rails 2 of the switch or side track. After the wheel 25 has passedthe switch point 3 it will strike against and ride over the lug A,formed on the ball of the corresponding one of the rails 2, which actionimparts a movement to the plunger 32, thus notifying the operator thatthe wheels of the rear truck have passed the switch point and that it istherefore no longer necessary to main tain the plunger in a depressedcondition. After the last car wheel passes the switch point 3, theretractile coil spring 18 acts to shift the various parts of the switchopcrating device back to their normal positions, and thus the variousparts are in position for the succeeding operation.

I claiml. The combination with a movable switch point of a railwayswitch, of a movable member arranged adjacent one of the track rails inadvance of the switch point, which point. is springheld in onedirection, connections between said movable member and the movableswitch point and spring-held means carried by the car passing over theswitch for engaging the movable member to shift the movable switch pointand maintain it in such shifted position until the forward wheels of therear truck engage said movable switch point.

2. The combination of the movable switch point of a railway switch, of amovable member adjacent one of the track rails in advance of the movableswitch point, which point is normally spring-held in a closed position,connections between said. movable member and the movable switch pointand manually operated, spring-held means carried by the car passing overthe switch, between the trucks thereof, for engaging the movable memberto shift the movable switch point in an open position and maintain it insuch open position until the forward wheels of the rear truck engagesaid movable switch point.

3. The combination with the movable switch point of a railway switch, ofa movable member adjacent one of the track rails, in advance of themovable switch point, connections between said movable member andmovable switch point, and means carried by the car, passing over theswitch, in such position relative to the trucks thereof, for engagingthe movable member to open the switch in advance of the forward truckand engage the movable switch point and hold it open for the passage ofthe rear truck.

4-. The combination with the movable switch point of a railway switch,of a movable member adjacent one of the track rails, in advance of themovable switch point, connections between said movable member andmovable switch point, and a manually operated springheld roller carriedby the car, passing over the switch, in suchposition relative to thetrucks thereof that it will en gage the movable member to open theswitch in advance of the forward truck and engage the movable switchpoint and hold it open for the passage of the rear truck.

The combination of a movable switch point of a railway switch, of amovable member arranged adjacent one of the track rails -in advance ofthe movable switch point, a

housing arranged to one side and beneath the track rail against whichthe movable switch point engages, a pair of standards within thehousing, a shaft journaled in the standards, a crank arm fixed on oneend of the shaft having a slot in its lower end, a second shaft mountedin the housing, a crank on said second shaft and a pin on the crankengaging in said slot, a crank on the opposite end of the second shaftand a pin and slot connection between the said second crank and themovable switch point, a retractile coil spring connected at its one endto the lower end of the first mentioned crank and its opposite end tothe housing, a crank arm fixed to the opposite end of the firstmentioned shaft, a pin and a slot connection between said crank and themovable member in advance of the movable switch point, and means carriedby the car for engaging the movable member.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inpresence of two subscribing wltnesses.

EDGAR H. WHITAKER. Witnesses:

M. P. SMITH, E. L. WALLACE.

